


I Know How It Ends

by sunriseandsunshine



Category: The Flash (TV 2014)
Genre: Alternate Universe - Detectives, Angst, Drinking, F/M, I'm Sorry, Lots of Angst, Mental Health Issues, Non-Explicit Sex, none of the violence is graphic nor is the deaths, summary is terrible but story will be better, will get dark..maybe idk
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-12-09
Updated: 2019-03-07
Packaged: 2019-09-15 05:53:53
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Major Character Death
Chapters: 8
Words: 13,861
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/16927686
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/sunriseandsunshine/pseuds/sunriseandsunshine
Summary: Iris West is the lead detective on The Flash case, Central City's first serial killer. Barry Allen is her partner. A dead best friend and a few letters from the man behind the crimes himself is just the start of this twisted, winding story.Title from the song "I Know How It Ends" by Samsa





	1. So it begins...

**Author's Note:**

> ive been watching too much buzzfeed unsolved so here is this. probably gonna be a long long long fic.

"Detective West." She answered. 

"Detective, we think The Flash struck again. Same MO, same lack of evidence. We need you at the scene. 229 South Allen Unit 8." 

She sped to the address. The Flash has been making her life hell since she first figured out the murders were connected. The press were down her throat, damn journalists, she was the lead detective on the first serial killer case the city has ever seen. The Flash left no evidence just a trail of bodies in his wake. His MO was what earned him his name, he always left a mark on the victim in the shape of lightning bolt. Iris still remembers how nonchalant Caitlin had been when she first pointed out that two homicide victims in the last three weeks had had the same lightning bolt on their bodies. Iris scrambled to link them besides the mark, the only commonality being the absence of a suspect. They had found no DNA, no fibers, no fingerprints, no murder weapon. Nothing. The guy was good, really good. 

Iris arrived to the apartment building, it was worn down and if weren't for the residents living inside she'd think it were abandoned. It wasn't until she saw the victim she realized how screwed she was, it was her best friend. Cisco Ramon. The man who had been there when her mom died, handed her ice cream and tissues when she broke up with Eddie, sobered her up after a long night of drinking a day before her fathers wedding, helped her look for an apartment after she found Scott in bed with another woman, the man who had been there for her when she felt the most alone she had ever felt in her life. He was on the dusty, grimy floor. Dead. 

She noticed another detective walking over to her, "Oh, Iris. I'm so sorry." He hugged her tight to his chest.

"He's dead, Ralph. Cisco-Cisco's..." she trailed off her tears soaking his button up.

"I know. I know." He rubbed her shoulders. 

They sat like that for a minute until Iris, in a shaky voice spoke, "Thank you." 

"Don't mention it. Here, let me-" He rubbed the mascara from her cheeks.

She noticed the forensic techs working diligently to find any scrap of evidence. Iris was devastated, but she had a job to do. She wanted to catch this son of a bitch and put him in jail to rot for the rest of his life. Iris also knew she needed help, she couldn't do this alone anymore. This case required a partner. Captain Singh thought so too. 

"Barry Allen is transferring to Keystone to be your partner on the case, West. He worked on the Arrow case three years ago in Starling, he's the best we got. I have faith in you but I also know you can't do this alone. He'll be here tomorrow. That is all." 

She walked out of Singh's office relieved she was getting some help, maybe a break. Iris was still shaken up and still hadn't quite processed everything fully yet. She sat at her desk and began searching once again for a link between the three cases. She walked down to get the autopsy reports from Caitlin, she wanted to know everything about the day each victim died. 

The first victim, John Stevens. College professor at CCU, he was 28, Caucasian and married. He was last seen at Hopkins Bar at 2:38 AM November 27, 2018.

The second victim, Trey Samsa. Waiter at an upscale restaurant, he was 23, African American and engaged. He was last seen at Fitz and Co. Gym at 3:19 AM December 2, 2018.

The third victim, Cisco Ramon. Mechanical engineer at Star Labs, he was 25, Latino and single. He was last seen at CC Jitters at 12:41 AM December 9, 2018.

Nothing connecting them when it came to occupation. Being in their 20s could be a connection but a weak one. They were all last seen at dissimilar places. Iris was at a loss, her thoughts drifting back to the lightning bolts. They were all found of the victims neck, etched with skill and precision and different depths. The killer knew what he was doing and certainly knew his way around human anatomy as well as chemistry. 

Each victim were given a sedative through a needle and then once sedated, they are forced to ingest a cyanide pill. Once they have passed, he etches the mark into their skin and cleans everything. Under the nails, the whole body, the space surrounding it. Everything. The Flash worked quick and efficiently and with no trace. The first body had gotten acid poor downed his throat, the second body had no teeth and the third had gotten all ten fingers amputated. 

She got up from her desk, an idea forming in her head. She drove to John Stevens' home to talk to his widow, Elizabeth Stevens. 

She knocked on the door, "Who is it?" 

"Iris West, I'm the lead detective on your husbands case." 

Elizabeth opened the door, "Oh. Come in dear. Would you like some tea? I just out some water on." 

"No thank you. I'd like to ask you a few quick questions about your husband." Elizabeth pursed her lips into a thin line. 

"Of course, anything to help." 

"Well, I wanted to know if your husband was a singer, or if he liked singing." 

"I don't think I understand what you mean dearie." Elizabeth got up to make her tea, the kitchen and living room open enough to continue speaking.

"Mrs. Stevens, each of the victims were disfigured in some way. The last victim was a friend of mine, he loved playing piano and his fingers were removed. The killer must have known that and wanted to take that from him. There's a possibility for another link between them that could get us one step closer to apprehending the suspect." 

"Well, John loved to sing. When we were in college we would go to karaoke and he would sing the sappiest love songs and when he proposed he was singing and dancing. Always said in a past life he was a famous singer. I don't know if that helps dear, but I hope so." 

"Thank you, Mrs. Stevens. I'm very sorry for your loss." 

"You as well, Detective." The lady smiled. 

Iris drove to the second victim's home he shared with his fiance, Amanda Jameson. 

"Go away already, I don't want to talk right now." 

"Ma'am it's Detective West, lead investigator on Trey's case. I just have a few quick questions for you."

She opened the door, "Of course, the press have been persistent. Trying to find out every detail." 

"They are...persistent. I just want ask you a couple, clarifying questions about Trey. Learn a bit more about who he was." 

"Makes sense." 

"Did Trey like to sing or play an instrument?" 

"He had played clarinet since he was five. Any reason?" 

"Following a hunch, thank you Ms. Jameson." 

"No problem Detective West. Catch this son of a bitch." 

"Trust me, I will." 


	2. Intrigued

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> barry and iris meet.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> this story is gunna hurt to write. but u should enjoy. if anyone solves the mystery before its revealed ill give them a cookie.

Barry sat down at his desk waiting to meet his new partner, Iris West. She was a good detective, he had heard about her work on some other smaller homicides. This case was unique, serial killer cases are always difficult to solve. Many left unsolved. With today's technology it's a lot easier to catch killers before they can commit more than one murder so serial killers rare nowadays. But The Flash, he was meticulous and never left a thing behind. From what he had read and been told they had never found anything at any three crime scenes. 

Iris walked over to her desk, now adjoined with Barry's, "Hey, I'm Detective West. Good to meet you." 

"Detective Allen, you as well. Now, any leads I should be aware of?" His eyes serious and older than his face. 

She sighed, "Yesterday I found out each of the three victims were musicians. One was a singer with acid poured down his throat, one a clarinetist with missing teeth and the final one a pianist with no fingers. I think there's something there. Like this guy has something against musicians." 

"Interesting." Barry took a sip of his coffee, "And that's the only other link? Nothing with race or age or height, anything physical?" 

"They were all different races, all in their 20s and two above six foot and one below. Nothing physical besides the age but I don't think it's a strong link, frankly." Barry sighed. 

"Religion?" 

"Catholic, Atheist, Jewish." 

"Can I look over the file?" 

"Of course, Detective." she handed the manila file over to him.

He looked over it with intense focus and she powered her computer on so she could view the digital copy. "So that musician lead, what do you theorize is his reasoning behind it?" 

"Could be parental? Maybe a parent walked out to pursue a music career and he never got over it." 

"That's possible, very likely. We could get a shrinks opinion." 

"Not a bad idea, Allen."

Barry was, nice. He was a bit stand off-ish and very professional. She appreciated it with a case this high profile his utter determination to solve it. She also didn't fail to notice he was fairly attractive, with blue green eyes and dimples. When he went to get another cup of coffee she noticed his height, over six foot at least. His button up did a good job of disguising his muscular arms except when he bent his elbow to look at her computer and the fabric stretched to accommodate his large biceps. He had a manly figure with a boyish charm. His eyes looked tired and wise, like in his twenty something years he had seen a great deal. Iris wondered about the man and curiosity and her profession took over her, she began searching and learning more about him. 

His mother, Nora Allen, had been murdered by his father when he was only eleven. And Barry had seen it. She wanted to reach her hand out and comfort him, suddenly understanding his demeanor. She kept digging though, discovering he never stayed at a foster home for long. He had bounced from home to home, all families citing the reason being was he wasn't a good fit. All except one, the Velasquez's had stated Barry had killed their family cat and couldn't be trusted around their three year old daughter any longer. Iris bit her lip, she was in disbelief. She didn't want to judge Barry on what might have happened, she barely knew the guy and he was going to help her catch the guy who murdered her best friend. She stopped after that and returned to the file about The Flash. 

Iris hoped to view security footage from all three locations the victims had last been seen. Barry agreed to go with her to each location and watch the tapes to discover any similarities between the three. 

Arriving first at Hopkins Bar, it was close to CCU where Stevens was a professor and had karaoke which Stevens had been said to love. He had been out with a couple of colleagues for drinks, next thing they know he's gone and they're so drunk they barely notice. The next day, he turns up dead in a dumpster.

When she first looked at the case she had assumed one of the colleagues had been the killer, dismissing the mark. She had been so naive before, look at her now. Lead detective on The Flash case. And only slightly closer to solving it than she had been a few days ago, but not close enough. 

The bar complied and handed over the tapes of when Stevens had been seen there, one down two to go. 

Next was Fitz and Co. Gym. She had been here before when she lived at her old place she had gone to this gym, after moving into her current place that had a gym she stopped going. Samsa was a regular, always in the gym. That day had been no different. He had gotten into a fight with girlfriend after she came home from her shift at the supermarket and left. He was in the gym until around 3 AM when he was seen leaving. Witnesses say he had been in walking to his car and after that no one knows. He was found in his trunk, dead. 

The gym also gave their footage of Samsa. One more. 

CC Jitters was last. She had worked here once, times were much simpler back then. Cisco used to always come in and she would sneak him a cookie or two. He would often stay till closing with her so she wasn't lonely. It was their place. Jitters was only a ten minute walk from Star Labs where Cisco was employed. He often worked late, he was ambitious and striven for perfection. Jitters closed at 1 AM and he had left around twenty minutes before then. Only to be discovered dead in an apartment building a block from Jitters. 

Jitters was fast to offer what help they could. Now to analyzing:

Barry and Iris put in earbuds and began watching the tapes. Nothing seemed out of the ordinary in any of the tapes until Iris realized something, the timestamp suddenly changed from 1:30:02 to 4:27:16 on the Hopkins tape. She sighed, they had only seen Stevens enter and the tape skipped to after he had already left the bar. She popped in the next tape. Again Samsa entered and the timestamp suddenly changed to after Samsa had been seen walking to the parking lot. When they looked at the parking lot view they saw Samsa and then it was skipped to 5:12:59. This was hopeless, this was  _The Flash_ of course he had taken the tapes. They looked through the Jitters tape anyway and the pattern continued, Cisco walks in and then the tape leaps to hours after he had already been dead. 

Barry gave her a sympathetic look, "It's just a dead lead, we should have figured someone like this would cover his tracks as well as he could. That includes tapes." 

"I just-I just want a damn break from this guy. He's got all his bases covered at all times. He's too good or maybe, maybe I'm just not a good enough detective but I don't know. I don't know anymore." 

"The Flash is good. But you, you are a great detective. I know that we can do this, I have my full faith in you Iris." 

"Thanks, Allen." she sniffled and looked over at him with a smile. 

Her mind flashed back to what she had read about his time with the Velasquez family. It didn't sit right with her, he had been removed from a foster home for  _killing_ a cat. He had been through an extremely traumatic incident at a young age, usually that results in some form of mental illness. She made a mental note to look in to it, the warm butterflies fluttering in her stomach making her forget about it momentarily.  

Iris knew one thing about The Flash, he had killed her best friend and he was going to pay.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> xo i love u all, hope u enjoy this angst fest as much as u can.


	3. Vulnerability and Liquid Courage

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> barry lets his guard down, so does iris.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> hope ya enjoy nerds, this is a bit long and contains smut so...

Barry and Iris had hit it off quite well in the three weeks that he had been at CCPD. They were a good team, both very thorough and quick to discover little things about the case. Every lead was pointless and ended up leading no where though. Until Iris received a letter. 

_Dear Ms. West,_

_It has come to my attention that you are the lead detective on my case. And a smart girl like you should've realized a while ago, you won't ever be able to catch me. Now, since I have learned you are the main detective on my case I've been watching you. You're gorgeous, Ms. West. Mind my forwardness but you've been the only thing I can think about since I've seen you and I even considered turning myself in just to put a smile on that pretty face. I do hope you come to your senses soon and realize you will never find me. Have a nice day._

_-The Flash_

It was in an envelope with just her name on it, no return address or stamp. He had left this here, or had someone do it. Knowing The Flash it was most likely the latter, Barry was up getting coffee so she waited for him to get back before shoving the letter in his face. 

"Barry, do you know what this means?"

"The Flash has a crush on you?" 

"No," Barry gave her a stare, "Yes. But not the point, if I maybe keep up correspondence with him I might be able to convince to meet up with me or turn himself in. I could-" 

"You could be making a big mistake. What if he kills you Iris?" 

"It's worth the risk." 

"Iris, I don't think it is." He looked concerned. 

"Barry I'm a twenty-eight year old, grown-ass woman. I can handle myself just fine." 

"I just don't want you getting hurt..or worse. We both know what this guy is capable of." 

"Why do you even care so much?" 

"Because you're my partner and my friend and I care about you. I can't let you get hurt and I can't lose you." 

Barry's expression was one of sincerity and genuine concern. His eyes were dark with passion, as if he could make The Flash appear out of thin air and cuff him right there if he thought hard enough. She allowed her lips to curl upward into a small and appreciative smile. Iris had her dad, yes but with Cisco gone life seemed tough and meaning at times. Those times were her darkest moments, when the clock hit three in the morning and her mind was still racing with thoughts. From The Flash's identity to what she was going to do the bastard when she found him to Cisco, what his eyes had looked like, glazed over and with a blue tone to his skin. How her eyes had burned that day after her mascara ran from the wet of her tears. She didn't want to believe that he was gone. She never did, she never would. Iris preferred to act as if he were still here, still with her. That the dip in her mattress was him, sleeping over a long night of board games or their weekly binging of whatever show popped up in her recommended on Netflix or some bad horror movie the two would laugh at. Under the warmth of Iris's grey covers, her small TV she had bought when she was in college playing whatever entertainment they had found for the night. How good it felt to be loved, and how much she missed that feeling. 

She figured Barry could understand. His traumatic upbringing seemed to not have an affect on him at a glance, like he was completely normal with two, alive parents. But sometimes his beaming smile would falter, show what he was truly thinking or feeling. When Iris suggested she keep writing to The Flash he had one of those moments, where his true emotion slipped through the facade he had been no doubt building up for years. She always took in those brief little hints of who he really was, everything about him seemed perfect. He was good looking, smart, funny, good at his job, many more things she could ramble on about. But those small, minuet flashes of who he was showed that maybe not every aspect of his life was perfect.

The two had become friends but Barry was still standoff-ish with anyone who wasn't her. Iris felt for him in that way, after being moved around so often he must just be used to acting that way. Somehow she had gotten him to let down his guard with her, even just the slightest bit and the void that had consumed her after Cisco's death was slowing being filled by those brief moments of who he truly was. She wanted more people to see who he was, meet some of her friends at the precinct. 

"Hey Barry, you want to get drinks tonight?" 

"Depends, who's going?" 

"I was going to ask Ralph and Cait. If that's good with you?" 

"Sure." He went back to typing on his computer. 

"Ok, uh-um I just..." Her tongue felt tied. "I'll text you the details." 

She shook her head at herself and got up from her adjoined desk with Barry and headed to Ralph's desk, "What's up, Ralph?" 

"Not much, West. What's good with you?" 

"You want to get drinks later with Barry and I? Maybe Cait, haven't gotten down there yet." 

"Yeah, Allen seems chill. Totally into you, by the way." He said, with such certainty it sounded like a fact. 

"He is not." She hit his shoulder. 

"Is to, you should seem him. All the heart eyes." He gestured to her which earned him another hit. "Fiesty, what you really don't think he's into you?" 

"I don't know, he's my partner. I don't see them as romantic options." She nodded her head in Sue's direction. 

Ralph had been with Sue for a year now, she liked to make fun of him for dating his partner any chance she got. She and Ralph had been friends since they were rookies and had gotten close, drifted when got with Sue but she had gotten with Eddie around that time as well. They were still friends, he even offered to kick his ass if it meant she would smile. Iris knew he would get on nicely with Barry given the chance, they were both funny, smart, freaks of nature who were just so damn tall. 

"Alright, so I'll text you the details. Sue can come too, you know I love her." 

"Alright, West. Catch you later." 

"Sounds good."

Iris texted Caitlin, who said she had some work to catch up on. Iris sighed, at least she would have Sue. She walked back to her desk, Barry was focused on his screen and scrolling with his mouse at a slow pace. She leaned over to see what he was reading, an article "The Flash: Central City's First Serial Killer", his eyes were fixed on the words like he was allowing each individual word to sink in before reading another. Iris appreciated how thorough he always was, it made her job ten times easier. He looked at her, she had leaned a little too far and her hair had brushed his shoulder, "Well, hello to you too Iris." he laughed. 

"Sorry, I was just looking at what you were so concentrated on is all. I'll let you get back to it." Her cheeks hot as she said it. 

"It's fine, I'm just reading this about The Flash. Doing what I can, and I have no new leads. What about you?" 

"Well, I have nothing," She giggled a little as he smirked. "But, we're going out tonight and if this guy is watching me then theoretically he should show up." 

"And we're going to look back at the tapes?" 

"Yup, finally might get something, Allen." 

"Finally." They shared a grin before Iris rolled back over to her side.

The day was almost over, Iris had texted him the address of a bar close to the precinct most of the detectives would hang out at after work. The bartenders all knew them, their line of work wasn't exactly easy and sometimes a beer is just something you need. Barry had never been there but when he looked through Iris's tagged photos on Instagram a good amount were from the bar, which from what he had observed was cleanly and by a brick building or was a brick building, he wasn't sure. Either way, he wasn't dreading going out like he usually would. It was more time in her presence and he was more than happy to spend more time with Iris. She was all he's been able to think about the whole time he's been with CCPD. She's entered his mind and stayed there, not that he was complaining. 

When he did get to the bar he found it was, in fact, a brick building and his eyes found Iris who was sitting on a stool and talking with a bearded bartender. He crossed the room to go say hi but before he could say anything she turned around to face in and her smile all but lit up the room. "Barry, you're here." She hopped off her stool and wrapper her arms around his neck. 

The suddenness of the motion put him off balance but once he regained it he realized she was just in his arms, the exchange becoming less and less platonic. "I ordered myself a drink, then I ordered Ralph a drink but he isn't here yet and I wanted it. Then, I had another drink. And now I'm on my fourth." 

"Oh, Iris." Barry whined, helping her back on the leather seat. 

She grinned like a little kid with candy in front of them, "C'mon Barr, catch up." 

"Alright, alright. You're pushy." 

She winked, "You like it." 

If only she knew how true the statement rang, "So what?" He took a swig of his beer. 

"So, get drunk. Loosen up, Allen." 

"I'm a detective, 's impossible for me." 

"So am I, dumbass." 

Barry made a hurt face, "Is that what you think of me?" 

"Yup." She popped the p when she said it and smiled. 

Iris was a giggly, touchy-feely drunk. She found that out when she was in middle school and cursed at times like these, where her hand had slipped onto Barry's thigh and she was leaned close enough to smell his cologne. Barry was allowing it-beer breath and all-and didn't resist. He simply smirked, made flirty comments until the rest of them joined. Ralph's eyes went from Iris to were her hand was still rested on the upper part of Barry's leg and gave a knowing look. 

"So Iris, how's fending off press going?" 

"Not any better than it was a month ago, once they get wind of that letter though. It will be hell." She giggled and her body drifted closer to Barry's.

Sue was standing next to Ralph and he whispered something she couldn't quite make out. She just smirked and turned to Ralph and whispered something else. Iris was left, basically in Barry's lap, and out of the loop. Barry's cologne was strong in her nostrils as she laid her head against his chest and wrapped her arms around his neck, whispering something he couldn't decipher. "You know what? We have to go but we'll see you guys at work Monday." Ralph said as he took Sue's hand and left. 

"Ok, they are not subtle." 

Iris could only giggle. "What are you laughing at?" 

"Nada." 

"Oh really? You're not laughing at me?" 

"Nope." Her giggles muffled by Barry's shirt. 

He grabbed her hips and placed her on the stool next to his, "There." 

"No," She whined. "I'm sorry." 

"I don't believe you. Prove it." 

"How?" 

"Figure out a way." He grinned. 

She grabbed his hands and pulled him off his stool, "You wanna-" she hiccuped-"play that game?" 

"I do, I really do." 

She grabbed the sides of his face and pressed a firm kiss to his lips. Barry froze for a second, unsure of what this could mean. He was buzzed himself but sober enough to realize the consequences of furthering the exchange. But her hand had gotten in his hair and began tugging gently and he couldn't help but kiss back. Her lips were soft and plump and irresistible, he was strong but not that strong. Nobody could be that strong. 

Iris had deepened the kiss even further then dropped her lips to his neck. Sucking and biting her way down before getting close to his ear and in a raspy voice, "Let's get out of here." 

He didn't object when she got up and grabbed his hand. Allowed her to lead him out of the bar and to the sidewalk where she hailed a taxi. Silently thanked the gods when she opened her apartment door and walked towards the bedroom, turning and winking. When her fingers glided down his white button down and carefully undid them, leaving soft kisses as she went, he didn't oblige. And when her hands went to his belt buckle, then zipper, then tugged his pants and boxers off he didn't protest. 

Similarly, when Barry removed her shirt she didn't put up a fight. His hand finding the clasp of her bra and expertly removing her undergarment didn't get more than a small and muffled moan out of Iris. She couldn't do more than giggle when he removed her pants and touched her through her lace panties. His fingers were rough and the friction of the panties only fueled the fire growing inside of her. Iris didn't know how much long she could take this torture, the need was only growing and didn't look like it would be addressed anytime soon. Barry was the type to take his time. He was meticulous and aware of where he pressed his lips and where he allowed his hands to drift. 

She was, on the other hand, impatient. Her needs weren't being met and her body longed for his. Like she was in the dehydrated with no water in sight. He brought their lips together in a searing kiss before quietly asking, "Are you sure?" 

 _Of-fucking-course, he's Barry Allen, of course he wants my permission, "_ Yes. Yes. I'm very,  _very_ sure." 

Her words were accompanied by labored breathing and pants. She had wanted him for too long and she was finally getting what she so desperately wanted. His fingers tugged at her panties and guided them off her smooth legs, flinging them to the corner of the room. Barry spread her legs a bit wider before entering her. She was already so turned on, and wet and ready for him. She moaned loudly and adjusted to his size. He pumped slowly at first, not wanting to hurt her. But soon the pace picked up, the moans got louder and, "Oh Barry, oh my god. Barry, it's so-" 

"I'm so close, keep going. A little faster," He increased his pace even more, his own release not far behind. "Yes, right there." 

Her mutterings only got him closer and closer before her eyes snapped shut and her mouth opened into an 'O' shape. Her loud moans silenced by her orgasm. Just the sight was what he needed and he pulled out, Iris grabbing his dick and swallowing every last drop. He pushed himself off his elbows and the only sounds that could be heard were the loud pants coming from the two of them. He glanced at Iris, her hair was tousled and her cheeks had a faint blush to them. "Barry." 

"Yeah?" 

"What did we do?" 

"Uh, is that rhetorical?" 

"Kind of, but I mean...We're partners and we just-" 

"Yeah...we did." 

"We weren't thinking clearly, and this in no way affects the investigation." 

"Nope...no way." 

"Yup." 

"Yup." 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> love ya, hope ur enjoyin lol leave a comment and kudos bc i love feedback. this was the last chapter that isnt overly angsty next one is gon be...ANGST FEST. so uh, thanks for reading. yes, i take requests for other fics btw saw a couple comments about that. just leave it in the comments, nothing too hard ill see it. might do it.


	4. The Streak

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> barry and iris deal with some...awkwardness while they avoid feelings. another murder is committed, but is it by the flash or someone else?

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> happy holidays everyone! so i thank you for reading this story. hope u had a good christmas!! love u all!!

A fourth murder was committed. The last place the victim was seen, Smithereens Bar. Where Iris, Barry, Ralph and Sue had met last night. Grant Walker was a computer science major at CCU, with a bright future and a fiance. Ryan Settlemeir was Grant's fiance, they had recently gotten engaged and to kick off winter break they went out to get drinks. The bar was close to CCU and their apartment and they were regulars there. The staff described the two as stupidly in love, all full of smiles and laughs and witty banter. 

Now, Grant was dead in the kitchen of some grimey apartment. With  _blood_ surrounding him. Iris had been at that scene in minutes and, along with the forensic techs, was perplexed. This wasn't like The Flash. Every centimeter was normally scrubbed clean, this time a puddle of the victims blood was on the worn linoleum. But there was a lightning bolt on the neck. When Barry showed up, he uttered the words she really didn't want to hear, "It's a copycat." 

"You have got to be kidding me." 

"I mean we won't know for sure until we get the body back to the lab and see if the cause of death was cyanide, or if he was even injected with a sedative. There seemed to be a struggle." 

The forensic tech nodded and a small smile spread across the girl's face, "We found DNA under the nails." 

"Well, that's easy." 

"We got lucky, detectives." The tech scurried away. 

Back at the lab they discovered the DNA was Walker's. Not the murderers. Iris sighed, why did both of these psychopaths have to cover their tracks? Why can't they just make her job easy? At least she and Barry had something to talk about, so they could avoid what had happened the previous night. Avoid talking about how Iris had woken up curled into his chest. Avoid their feelings. 

They kept stealing glances at each other, unable to help themselves. But once their were caught they would smile sheepishly and look away. They promised them sleeping together wouldn't affect the investigation and neither of them had any intention of breaking that promise. Iris cursed herself for the thoughts she was continuing to have, the thoughts that made her nauseated and searching for a place to lie down. She had a feeling Barry was having similar thoughts. And that was somehow scarier. What if did something about those thoughts? What would happen to the case? 

She had worked too hard and too long to mess it all up with feelings. Stupid feelings. She had made so much progress as a detective. She was a black, female detective heading the first serial case the department had ever seen. It was something she had worked towards since she was a little girl, and stupid Barry Allen, with his stupid smile and laugh and blue-green eyes and dimples were not what was going to cause her to lose respect or lose what she had worked for since she started, lose her  _dream._

Barry knew this, it's why he continued to look away every time she caught him. Why he agreed to not let their feelings affect the investigation. Why he was pushing down and trying to get rid of all the thoughts he kept having about Iris, the times his mind replayed last night's events. All the times he had pictured her in bed with him again. Hair a mess once more, cheeks flushed with a rosy tint, hot moans and the slap of skin filling the room. 

He shook his head. He was at work. A man was murdered and he was going to close the case and he could finally,  _finally_ act on what he had been feeling for weeks. For the first time after his mom's death he felt some semblance of happiness. Understood what all those people in movies were talking about when they described love. He was in love with Iris. Infatuated with her. 

She hadn't told anyone, not even Cait. Who she told everything to, and I mean everything. Every detail of a hookup, every office crush, every tinder date. And the more serious things like when her dad had a heart attack or after Cisco's death when she broke down at her apartment at three in the morning and Cait did nothing but rub her back, hand her tissues and get her to go to sleep and relax.

"Detectives? We have something you might like to see." 

The tech was small and young, nervous to be around the two, "Well, we found a hair. But it isn't human, not completely. We think it may be a different type of human. Like a half human, half super human." 

"Super human?" 

The girl shifted her weight from one foot to the other, "The victim wasn't killed by a stab to the heart like we originally believed, he was killed by someone stabbing him and then freezing his heart." 

"How does that even work?" Barry asked. 

"Well they created an opening and wrapped a hand around their heart, effectively stopping it." 

"Any idea who did it?" 

"The hair we found matched with someone, someone that works here." 

"Who?" Iris asked. 

Barry sat down, "Dr. Caitlin Snow" 

Iris's face fell. It could not be possible. No way. Caitlin wouldn't hurt a fly, let alone kill another person. "Detective West?" 

"Yes?"

The man handed her a letter, "For you." 

She recognized the hand writing on her name, The Flash. "Look, let me read this. You guys talk." 

_Dear Ms. West,_

_I heard of that murder. It was not me. It was messy, it was amateur. But of course, you most likely knew that. You are one bright girl. I realized something though, I am deeply in love with you. I want you to catch this person that is imitating me, and doing a very poor job of it. I will set a plan to meet with this person, you will be there to meet them. Not me. Now, I'm aware this is a short letter but I am rushing to finish. You must understand, it's difficult leading a double life._

_Love, Flash_

The "Love, Flash" was a nice touch. She was becoming friends with a murderer, _good job West._ She walked back over to Barry and shoved the letter in his face. "Another one from your secret admirer?" 

"He wants us to find this copycat. He's pissed someone is so poorly pretending to be him." 

"Ah, a murderer with high standards. I commend him." 

"Shut up, Allen. He's going to help us, I am more than grateful." 

Barry rolled his eyes, "Of course you are." 

"What's that supposed to mean?" She scoffed. 

"It means, this guy is infatuated with you just-" he paused. "You like that he is in love with you." 

"I like that he's helping me out on the case." 

"Sure." 

The media had caught wind of the letters, even asked for him to send one to them. He never did. The press had also learned of the copycat's existent and coined the name, "The Streak." Iris hated it. Barry did too. First, "The Flash", now that. And it wasn't even the name, it was the way they got so many facts about the murder wrong in the article. Like how the victim died, how they conveniently misspelled Walker's fiances name so it looked like the feminine spelling of Ryan and worst of all, how they still were asking for a letter from The Flash and now The Streak. 

Iris didn't want to believe Caitlin could be the copycat. It made no sense to her, she was sweet and kind. The first day she met her, Caitlin was smiling and laughing the whole time. They had hung out, outside of work on multiple occasions. When Cisco was still alive, the three would go get frozen yogurt whenever one of them was sad. It was the right thing to cheer any of them up. Right now, Iris could use about five thousand frozen yogurts. 

After Cisco's death, the two had gotten frozen yogurt. They sat in silence for the most part, still in shock that he was really gone. But just being in each other's presence was enough for her to feel a bit better. Now, if it turned out she really was this murderer, that means she would have lost two of her best friends. And Iris really, really didn't want to even consider that a possibility. Of course Cait isn't a murderer, she could barely muster up enough courage to squash a spider, there was no way in hell she could ever, ever kill another living, breathing person. No way. 

Barry had never liked Cait, the few times they interacted was awkward and a mess of disgusted or down right mean looks towards the other. Iris had never pressed either of them on why, if she should know why they acted the way they did to each other one of them would have said something. She kept to herself, and her imagination. 

The forensic tech came back over to their desks, "Detectives, we ran some tests on Dr. Snow and well, you might want to see for yourselves." 

They followed the girl down to the lab where Caitlin was getting a cotton swab shoved into her mouth, "What are you guys doing?" 

"We want to compare her DNA to the sample found at the scene. If it's a match, we might have 'The Streak'," Iris glared. "Sorry, sorry." 

Iris and Barry sat down at some stools in the lab and watched a tad longer until the room felt suddenly 15 degrees cooler and Caitlin's hands began turning a shade of blue, her hair going a bright white and her eyes turning to a crisp blue. She blasted three of the techs who were currently comparing samples and right as Iris pulled out her pistol and turned off the safety she felt a sharp, stinging pain in her chest. She had been stabbed through the rib cage, her lung most likely punctured and the world went blurry and dark and before she could understand or comprehend what had just happened she felt lulled to sleep, to close her suddenly heavy eyelids. Before the world could go completely dark she looked over, Barry and Caitlin were currently fighting and rolling around. Barry's gun drawn and her hands emitting a freezing, blue aura. Her eyes closed before she saw who won. 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> dun dun dunnnnnnn. im writing a oneshot rn bc like why not? so ill let u know when its out ;))))))))))  
> im taking down the flash poster in my room to hang up my twenty one pilots poster that i got autographed a while ago, "its the end of an era!!" as monica geller would say.


	5. A Tale of a Broken Boy

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> iris woke up, hurt and sore. barry by her side, he tells her about his mother and her unfortunate death.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> welp here i am...writing another chapter. im almost half way done w this story wow, that hurts a lil. this is my baby, its growing up so fast. sorry for the cliffhanger...i love u all i promise!! this chapter took so long man. i kept losing motivation and never had the time for this story. But here I am...writing this chapter...again.

Slowly, the world became less blurry. She still didn't know where she was, her chest and side hurt, and she felt someone's hand on hers. But soon it all made sense, she was in the hospital and she had been stabbed and it was Barry's hand. He was sitting in the chair next to her bed, just looking at her, "Hi." 

"Hey." 

Barry let out a sigh of relief, "You're awake, I was worried about you." 

"Yeah, I'm awake. What happened?" 

"Caitlin, when you got stabbed it collapsed your lung. You had to get a tube and a lot of things I don't really understand still. I was just praying you would wake up." 

"Does my dad know?" 

"Yeah, he left an hour ago when I got here. I figured he should get some rest, these chairs aren't comfy." 

Iris knew how uncomfortable hospital chairs were, the only thing she hated more than reporters were hospitals. After her dad's heart attack, she got well acquainted with those chairs. Long nights and early mornings, bringing her laptop and sitting in the cold, fluorescent lit room. When she was younger, writing was her favorite past time while she waited. Stories, about various things from romance to science fiction. But her favorite stories to write were murder mysteries. The way she would research what detectives did, and that's what really sparked her interest in it. When her father woke up, she had no time to continue writing. Between school and friends, she just kind of stopped. And, her love of unsolved mysteries led to her becoming a detective. 

"Barry, I remember. Before-before I...I saw you and Caitlin fighting. And, I have no clue what happened because you haven't told me a thing." 

He took in a breath, "Caitlin stabbed you and I fought her, hit her with my gun, and she," he pulled his shirt up to relieve an already scarred over wound, "stabbed me, too. But she fell, I cuffed her and passed out. But then I did to, and when I woke up...Caitlin was being taken away and you were already on your way to the hospital." 

"And where is she now? We caught her?" 

"Yeah, West. We caught her." 

Iris winced as she sat up, "But The Flash is..." 

"Still at large. But, he left this for you and a sticky note attached said for me to bring it to you." Handing her an enveloped with Detective West scribbled in familiar handwriting on the front. 

_Dear Ms. West,_

_Oh, my baby. I heard about what that psycho did to you and I was worried sick, I kept writing letters and not sending them. I didn't want someone else reading them, these letters are where I get out my feelings. Something I only do while killing but you, you have made me want to feel again. Be human, again._

_I trusted Barry to give you the letters without reading them, he knows how special they are. Even though his teases are crude, he's a good man. Too bad I want to kill him, in a blinding jealous rage. Not my usual way either, maybe I would shoot him. He's got to have enemies they would suspect before me, of course it wouldn't be on my kill credit but I'm not too concerned with that number anyway._

_Well Ms. West, if you were wondering I've killed around 17 people. Some bodies found but not with my lightning bolt. They were my test dummies. My loyal subjects, from which I learned which sedative is the fastest acting, the strength of the previous cyanide pills before I had perfected my formula. But most importantly, they didn't have to be killed in a uniform way. I had freedom. I still do have freedom, until you apprehend me or I turn myself in. Keep looking the way you do and I just might do that, I feel myself falling deeper and deeper in love with you._

_Love, Flash_

She smiled and Barry gave her a look, "Oh you, you shut up." 

"I didn't even say anything." He said, putting his hands up. 

"Stop with the smug smile," he smirked once more, "Bartholomew Henry Allen, smirk at me like that again and I-" 

"Iris, you're awake." Joe walked in the room. 

"Oh, daddy." She said, wincing once more when she reached to hug him. 

Barry slipped out of the room, allowing them some alone time. The events rushing back to him. 

_The way her face looked, eyes closed, a hand still on the wound but not applying enough pressure to stop the blood from spilling out. He ran over to her and applied the pressure, in her unconscious state, couldn't. He pleaded, he begged for her to stay alive. To keep going, keep fighting, "Iris, please. Just..be strong, for me, for your dad, for you. I don't know what I would do without you." A tear escaping his eyes._

_"I love you, Iris. I-I love everything about you. I can't lose you."_

_"Please, please, please," His voice shakey and low, "I believe in you."_

"Barry," Joe's voice dragged him from the memory, "you ok?" 

"Um, yeah..."

"You thinking about what happened?"

Barry paused, "Yeah, hard not to." 

"Thank you, you saved my little girl. I owe you, big time." 

"You were a detective, you know what's it's like-she's my partner, we protect each other." 

Joe smiled, "I never wanted her to become a detective. When she told me, all I could think about was her getting hurt or worse. But you're a good partner, remind me of someone I knew," he paused, "Go in, she's still awake." 

"Thank you, Detective West." 

"Please, it's Joe." 

"Thank you, Joe." He smiled. 

Barry walked back in and Iris gave him a smile before attempting to sit up. She had two broken ribs and a punctured lung, so Barry rushed over, "No, no, no.  Iris, don't-don't, I'll help you." 

"I'm mighty fine thank yo-ow ow ow ow." 

"You want my help now, West?" 

She looked down, "Yes please?" 

"Alright, try not to laugh or sit up too fast or anything like that. Breathing's gonna hurt like a bitch as soon as the good pain meds wear off, be prepared." 

Iris smiled, "You sure know a lot about this." 

"My dad was a doctor, maybe in another life I would've been with. My dad would come home," He sat down on the chair next to her bed, "I would get so excited. I'd ask him about work, and he would just light up. He loved to help people. I got that from both my parents don't get me wrong, my mom was the most selfless and generous woman you'd ever meet but I wanted to help people like my dad did. I wanted to...cure them." 

She grabbed his hand, "You would've made a good doctor." 

He squeezed back, "Thanks, Iris." 

They sat like that, staring into each other's eyes and holding hands before a nurse came in. "Hey Iris, you're awake. I'm Jane. Who would this be?" 

"This is my partner, Barry Allen." 

"Barry Allen, are you Henry's son?" 

Barry looked over at Iris, "Yeah, yeah I am." 

"Good man when I knew him. Nice to see you doing well, kiddo." 

She started going over medications and technical things with Iris that Barry couldn't force himself to focus on, he felt like he was in a trance. He couldn't focus or think. He felt stuck in one place, unable to escape the images running through his head. His mother, surrounding by yellow and red lightning. His father yelling, pleading with him, "Run, Barry, run." 

"Barr? You okay?" 

"Sorry, sorry. Thinking about something. What's up?" 

"Nothing you just looked...distant." 

He sighed, "My mother was murdered when I was 11. The police have always said it was my dad but, Iris, I was there. I know it wasn't him. My parents were, stupid in love. And I was a curious kid, I would've heard them raise their voices if they were actually fighting. My dad would never do such a thing, he was-is a good man." 

"I believe you." 

"I became a detective so it wouldn't happen to anyone else." 

Iris smiled, "It's a noble reason." 

"But, no one believed me. I had  _seen_ what really happened. The shrinks always said it just my way of coping. That I was just a scared little boy, unable to accept the truth. But that-that never was and never will be the truth." 

"What did you see?" 

"Well, I woke up to the water in my fish tank rising. Defying the laws of physics. Then, I heard this loud noise coming from downstairs, so I walked down the stairs and saw my mom. With this, terrified expression on her face. My mom was a brave woman, I had never seen her look so scared. She was surrounding by two trials of lightning, one red and one yellow, circling her. Like they were fighting. But-but then my dad rushed over to me. He pushed me out the front door, with only the words, 'Run, Barry, run.' So I did. I ran. Until I heard the police. I came back to the house and saw my dad in handcuffs shouting at me, 'Barry, don't go in the house.' I didn't listen. When I went inside I saw my mom, a knife through her chest. I shook her to try and get her to wake up but-but she didn't wake up. One of the detectives brought me outside, tried to calm me down but I just kept trying to get them to know the truth. No one ever listened." 

She squeezed his hand, "Oh, Barr. If I could hug you right now, I would." 

He brushed the tear off his face, "You don't know how much that truly means to me. No one's ever even believed me. My own family members didn't want me." 

"They aren't really your family then." 

It had been long since he had told that story. I mean, back then he told it to the detectives, to his family. Even his foster sister, the kindest person he had ever met until Iris. She hadn't believed him though, rather siding with the shrinks that had always said he imagined it. "So, your dad is in prison?" 

"Iron Heights."  

"When's the last time you went to see him?" 

"Just a couple days ago, he had heard about Caitlin and called me. I go see him on my mom's birthday, his birthday and Christmas. I told him about you actually." 

"All good things I hope." 

"Nothing less." 

He squeezed her hand again, getting up from his chair to plant a kiss to her forehead. She closed her eyes into the kiss, and we he pulled away she stared into his. Tension beginning to grow in the cold hospital room. And like magnets, they felt drawn to each other. Their lips millimeters apart. Both of their eyes shut, waiting for the contact. And when that contact finally happened they both let out quiet sighs. They had denied their feelings for so long, and even know Iris wasn't sure what this would mean for the case but all that matters in the moment is this, is him. 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> not a cliffhanger!! sorry again for last chapters ending that was mean. lo siento.  
> also i didnt take my flash poster down so yay!! im starting a twenty one pilots wall w tickets from the two shows i went to and my stickers from merch and my poster lol im having a lot of fun doing it too  
> if anyone acc reads my authors notes im sorry bc lowkey im so annoying, shoutout to vani tho bc shes an amazing commenter. hope ur reading, hope u enjoyed also im looking forward to ur comment. its 1 AM rn, im tired and writing to cope w stress.


	6. Trials and Tribulations

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> the trial of The Streak. barry is accused of being The Flash

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> im sick waaaaaaaaaaaaaaah and have no clue how trials work so sue me

Iris was cleared to come back to work a week before Caitlin's trial was scheduled to begin. Everyone greeted her with warm smiles on her first day back, including Captain. But the precinct was filled with a thick, eerie silence; everyone was so shocked at how Caitlin, a beautiful, sweet woman could be capable of such an atrocity. Iris, being the lead detective on The Flash case was heading to Iron Heights later to talk to Caitlin about the murder. She wasn't sure how she felt about that, she didn't really want to see her or talk to her but she had a job to do and she was going to do it. And she was going to do it well. She would have Barry with her though, and that thought was comforting. 

When she got out of the hospital Barry had came over and helped her cook, clean, and when she woke up screaming; reliving that night. He held her, whispered in a low voice reassuring words till she fell back asleep. He chased away her nightmares. 

They hadn't told anyone about their relationship, if she could even call it that because it was complicated. They had never even been on a real date, they had sex once after a drunken night and now he was coming over to her apartment to make her dinner and cuddle her in bed until her reoccurring nightmares about her ex-best friend stabbing her would go away. Not to mention they were partners on Central City's first serial killer case. 

Cecile Horton, Central City's DA and Joe's girlfriend, had already told Iris and Barry they would be the prosecution's main witnesses. As well as the lab techs who had been there that day when Iris was injured. Everyone in the city already knew most of the details, even before the trial people knew that Caitlin was going to be found guilty. Even though her mother had found one of the best criminal defense attorneys money could buy, the evidence and the public were against Caitlin. The old, worn quote of "Verdicts are often reached in a living room" was proving to be true, but who really knew? There was still a week. 

A very long, stressful week for Iris. The media had been on her ass for a statement regarding "The Streak" but frankly, Iris just wanted to know who came up with that godawful name. Seriously? It doesn't even make sense, at least The Flash has a nice ring to it.

The Flash hadn't sent Iris any letters since she got out of the hospital and she still hadn't decided if that was a good or bad thing. Barry said it was a good thing, it was one less thing for her to obsess over and one less thing to protect her from. But the suddenness at which the letters stop coming in felt off to her, and to add to it: a body hadn't been found in around two months. So yes, she was stressing that he was planning something big. Or hopefully, had stopped killing. 

Iris had a new pen pal anyways, an investigative reporter named Linda Park. The two had been friends in high school and had gotten back in touch after Iris noticed an article on The Flash was written by her. They had been talking for around a month now, mostly because she was the only journalist that Iris felt she could trust to convey the information in a smart way, and not misconstrue her words and twist them to fit her own narrative like many other reporters had done in the past. Which is why Linda was the only journalists who she was allowing to interview her about The Streak's trial, which was tomorrow. 

"Good morning, Iris. How are you feeling?" 

"A little better. It's been stressful though." She bit her lip. 

"How exactly did you receive your injuries?''

Iris looked down for a moment, "Um..I was stabbed with an icicle by Dr Snow. And if it weren't for Detective Allen, I would most likely dead right now." 

Linda's face twisted, "Speaking of Detective Allen, Dr Snow recently made an accusations against him saying he was The Flash, the most wanted man in Central City, do you think this could be a possibility?" 

"I think, we should never disregard anyone as a suspect but I know Allen, I know him better than a lot of people. He isn't The Flash." 

"Well, thank you for your time, Detective." Linda grinned. 

"No problem, Linda." 

Linda hugged Iris and walked out of the precinct, as soon as she did Barry rolled over to her, "Hey West. Whatcha' doin'?" 

"Not much, Allen." 

He smirked, "Looks like it." 

She hit him on the arm, "Rude." 

Barry only laughed before rolling away before she could hit him again, "Too slow." 

"You are a child." 

She went back to typing on her computer, glancing at the time, "I'm going home, see you later Barr." 

"I'll come with you." 

She tapped her foot as he gathered his things impatiently, "Hurry up, would you?" 

"Just for that, I'm gonna go extra slow." 

"Buh-bye then." She said as she turned on her heel. 

"Oh and I'm childish" He said with a giggle. 

She kept her back turned, "Yup. See you later, Detective." 

But when she did see him later, she was glad for his company. The trial was tomorrow and she was up all night thinking about it, she was worried about seeing Caitlin and being on the stand and what if Caitlin used her powers again and EVERYTHING. The only thing that was calming her down was Barry, his soothing hand on her back and his voice, low and reassuring telling her to breathe, that everything will be okay. 

She woke up the next morning curled into his chest, the blare of her alarm prompting her to roll over a slam it off. He pressed a kiss to her shoulder when she went to press it and she smiled, his presence was comforting. His kisses always seemed to make her nerves dissolve. She released herself from the warmth and comfort of his arms and got dressed. Cecile asked her and Barry to come to the court house early for a last minute prep on what they were going to say so this trial moved by as quickly and painfully as possible. 

They stopped at Jitters for coffee on the way to the courthouse. There was a comfortable silence that neither wanted to break, even if they did they had no clue what to even say. This whole case was a house on a mudslide, slowing slipping and slipping down, pulled down by the force of gravity, with no way to stop it. Iris just had to stay positive. 

By the time Iris was on the stand she looked graceful as she walked up. She looked at Barry who just smiled and gave a small nod before Cecile began asking her questions. Questions she knew the answer to. Cecile began, "So Iris, how did you and your partner figure out that the murder was not committed by The Flash?" 

"It was sloppy, amateur. You could tell in the way the lightning bolt was engraved, the pool of blood left at the scene and the choice in victim." 

Questions of that nature kept coming at her like baseballs, and she was hitting home run, after home run, after home run. Iris felt confident, even while Caitlin glared from her seat. That was until the defense cross-examined her. "Detective, from what I understand you've been working with Barry Allen on this case for around 3 months, correct?

"Correct, sir." 

"So, you must know about his whereabouts on November 27, 2018?" 

"I didn't meet Detective Allen until early December." 

"He was in the city. Not on business either, he was visiting Dr. Snow. So Detective, you trust your partner, right?" 

"Yes." 

He carried on, slowing breaking down the confidence she had gained while being questioned by Cecile. The lawyer was one of the best that money could buy, he was stubborn and believable and could find any exploit to get a few years of a sentence. He had won more cases than he had lost. Iris had only met him once before, while being questioned on the rape and murder of a nineteen year old boy. She knew he was a force to be reckoned with. So when she finally was done being questioned she breathed a sigh of relief. She felt Barry's hand on her thigh, attempting to stop the bouncing. It worked, his mere presence was comforting to her. 

All Iris wished for as she sat in that courtroom was that she could leave. She wanted it to be over. For people to stop looking at Barry like a suspect, for Caitlin to be behind bars, for life to go back to how it was before she took on this case. Honestly, this was the homestretch when it came to the Streak. Sure, she still had to find The Flash and convict him but for now, The Streak would have to do. 

Iris zoned out after she testified. She was focused on one spot of carpet, not caring for what was going on around her. Everything was overwhelming her senses. The smell of the leather seats, the sun beams shining through the windows, the quiet whispers, the sound of pencil's moving across a paper notepad and the accompanying keyboard clicks. It all went by so fast, yet so slow. Time felt like it stopped at some moments but others she couldn't keep up. The only constant thing was the up and down motion of her leg. The dull click of her heel every time she'd do it. It wasn't until Barry returned and put his hand back in its previous spot that she felt at peace again. But she wouldn't feel truly at peace until she could leave. 

The trial dragged on in, the brief intermissions between the days leading up until she was the verdict of guilty was reached by the jury and Caitlin was sentenced to life on one count of first degree murder that Iris was finally able to breathe again. Like really breathe, without feeling this weight on her chest. 

People were still suspicious of Barry but all she could do was stand with him. She never faltered, she was always collected when reporters would shout at the accusations and ask her opinion on them. When would they realize that he wasn't a suspect, never would be. Sure, his past was unfortunate and sad but the past is in the past for a reason. Or that's what Iris kept saying, as if she was no longer trying to convince the press but rather herself. But deep down she knew, Barry Allen was The Flash.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> IM SORRY FOR HOW LONG THIS TOOK!!!!!!!!!!!!!!  
> i got super busy w school and home and just a lot happened while writing this but finally i just sat down and was yknow what vani needs me to stop being a dumb bitch and just finish this. So i put on my angsty teen emo music and finished the chapter as panic played in the background. again, no clue hwo trials work so i guessed and tried to make that portion quick. sorry for the cliffhanger im trash, this fic should have been finished already so im just trying to force myself to update very quickly. hope it was worth the wait. next chapter will be out by the end of the next week, if it isnt just spam the comments w it.


	7. A Graceful Decent Into Madness

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> iris is falling. another letter is sent. she learns the truth. they deal with it.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> murder on my mind by ynw melly is actually so good to listen to while writing about murder ;)

"Babe, you okay?" Barry asked. 

Iris shrugged, "I'm fine. Just been weird after the whole trial and everything. I'm still shaken up, I guess." 

She didn't want to admit why she was so deep in thought was because she thought her boyfriend, her partner was The Flash. I mean it didn't make sense. But it did. Iris just chose to ignore the signs, "Well, I'm here," he paused, "always." 

"I know, Barr." 

He put his arm around her, she loved his warmth especially on a March morning. Where it was cool, but not cold, but not warm either. Mornings like these she was grateful that he was here. He made everything better, he always had. But now, she couldn't get the image of the dead bodies she had seen out of her head. He had murdered Cisco. She didn't know what to do, she was stuck between a rock and a hard place. The rock being her love for Barry, and the hard place being her job, the case, the fact that he was a murderer.

She got up and went into the kitchen to make some breakfast, "You want anything? Eggs, a bagel, toast?" she asked as she walked towards the kitchen.

"Eggs and toast, please."  

"Ok, eggs and toast. Coming up." she smiled.. 

As she took everything she needed out, her mind wandered. She went over everything in her mind. He had a violent, traumatic past, he had been in the city when the first few murders were committed. The only thing that didn't make sense was why. What was the actual motive? 

And the letters. The damn letters. I mean, what was the point of the letters? It just made no sense to her. "Iris?" 

"Yeah?" 

 

She heard his footsteps, "You have mail." he handed her a letter.

Her name was written in a familiar handwriting, she cautiously open the envelope. Inside was a letter. 

_Dear Ms. West,_

_I'm deeply sorry, from the bottom of my heart for killing your dear Cisco. It was necessary. I needed someone to shut up. But, since then I've learned nothing can shut up that pest. I want to keep you safe and happy, and the only way I can think of to make those things happen is to turn myself in. The only issue is if i turn myself in it might make you unhappy. But just know, whatever I do. It is for you. I love you, Ms. West. More than you can ever know._

_Love, The Flash_

Iris looked over and read the words once more. This was Barry. It  _felt_ like Barry. In every sense. From the way he was obviously worrying, the selflessness, the overall tone. How had she not picked up on this before? 

Barry looked at Iris, her eyes were hyper focused on the paper in front of her and her face was scrunched. "What's it say?" 

She jumped, "Oh, um. Nothing, just ramblings of a madman." she let out a nervous giggle.

"Oh, okay. Well, I'll be in the living room. Let me know if you need me." He pressed a kiss to her temple.

She waited till she heard the kitchen door close before she wiped where he had kissed her. Iris didn't know what to do, or how she felt. The realization had hit her like a truck, a very large one. And it didn't just hit her. It drove over her, then drove back over her. Now, it was just parked on top her, crushing every bone in her body. Iris just didn't want to feel this way anymore. In her mind, she could confront Barry. Ask, no demand, the truth. And then decide. 

Iris was brave, not naive. She knew that asking him straight could end up with her dead, or worse. So, she was choosing to remain quiet. To get to the bottom of all this before jumping to any conclusions about him. She was a detective, this was what she did for a living. Albeit, without the being in love with the suspect part. 

Why? Why did she have to fall in love with him? She knew that they weren't a good idea, maybe in theory they could work out but in practice everything began falling apart. She was falling. She had been falling for a while now. It didn't seem like she would ever stop. First, she was falling in love with Barry. Now, she was falling down a rabbit hole of reexamining every little interactions she had with Barry and The Flash. 

From the first time they met, to when they went to the bar, to how he acted around Caitlin, to what The Flash had said about shutting someone up. Was that someone Caitlin? Did he fall in love with her or did he make her fall in love with him so she wouldn't arrest him if she did find out the truth? 

She hoped the former, but figured it was the latter. 

Barry had never seemed like the type to murder someone. What happened to him? 

All she did know, was she loved him. But the situation was complicated. Everything about this was. She wanted a break from all this. She couldn't do this anymore. 

"Barr?" she called. 

She heard him walk towards the kitchen, "Food's done." she handed him the plate. 

"Thanks, I love you Iris." 

"Love you too." 

She smiled, "You want to go out tonight?" 

"By out, you mean like a dinner and a movie?" 

"Yeah. It might be nice to dress up." 

He looked skeptical, "Sure." 

Iris sat down at the table, "Well, this is going to be a good night. Isn't it?" 

"I hope so." She put her hand on his. 

The ate in a comfortable silence after that. Well, comfortable for Barry. For Iris, the silence felt suffocating. It was the perfect climate to make her mind go off and wander. Each thought worse than the last. 

She was falling. And fast. 

Barry was oblivious, he had a hint of a smile on and had no idea the ramblings and crude things in Iris's mind. How could he? He was a murderer not a mind reader. She was damn grateful for that. 

For if he could, he would see how messed up her mind was at the moment. It might be worse than his. Iris kept trying to get her mind on other topics like what she was gonna wear. A nice dress, maybe the black one she bought last week with the hopes of wearing on a date with Barry to impress him. That was still the purpose but Iris was less...in to the idea of going out and acting like everything was okay. Maybe she could slip in a few questions, maybe about the trial. Innocent seeming ones. Yeah. That could work. 

"So what restaurant you think?" 

"There's a nice Italian place on seventh. It's pretty new, I've been meaning to go there." 

"Sounds like a plan." He smirked. 

He looked down, "You sure you're doing alright?" 

This was it, this was her moment. Iris sighed, "I haven't been able to stop thinking about what the lawyer said. Why did you meet up with Caitlin?" 

"In college, we were a thing. She texted me and asked if I wanted to get drinks. And, I said yes." He looked down and started to run a hand through his hair. 

He was lying. She knew he was lying. "Oh?" 

"Well, she wanted something to happen and I didn't so she got angry. When I came to Central City to help on the case I guess it must have brought up those feelings again." 

Iris paused and contemplated what to say next. She could either fuck up everything or she could play it safe, this was the moment. Before she could say anything Barry began, "Are you sure you're okay?" 

"You know, I'm not sure anymore." Iris said, picking at her food. 

"Anything I can do?" 

Iris paused, "Tell the truth. Please." 

"You think I'm laughing about Caitlin?" 

She sighed, "Barr, please just tell me the truth." 

He looked Iris in the eyes, "She told me she had ice powers, and that her dad had experimented on her when she was young. So I told her about my only true family. Eobard Thawne. He was my mom's cousin. He didn't know what had happened with my mom until I was 16. But when he did, he took me in. But he was not a good man," he continued, "he began to put me through these tests. I'm still unsure of what they really were but what I do know is that they made me fast. Extraordinarily fast." 

"But that's-" 

"Impossible?" 

He wasn't lying, "Yeah." 

Barry laughed, "I thought so too. I began to think I was crazy but I wasn't. I'm not. I just got unlucky. My dad, he warned me. But I didn't listen, I finally had a place to call home again. And that felt fucking amazing." 

"I can imagine, Barr." 

He bit his lip, "But soon, I didn't feel like myself. I haven't felt like myself until a few weeks ago." 

"Why's that?" 

"You, Iris. I no longer feel like a monster. I'm Barry again. I know that probably makes no sense but-" 

"No, no, I get it." She placed her hand on his. "Barry, is what Caitlin said true?" 

"Are you...?" 

"Yes, I'm The Flash. But the weird thing is I can't remember being The Flash. All of the murders are fuzzy blurs at best." 

Iris was right. Barry Allen was The Flash. She just didn't now where to go from here. 

"I'm sorry." 

"I'm sorry too." Iris said. 

Barry out his hand over hers, "You have no reason to be, I totally get it if you want to arrest me right now. I'll turn myself in. I'll-" 

"No." She spoke, softly. 

"What do we do?" 

"I don't..I don't know." 

She loved him more than she had ever loved anyone. The thought of turning him in made her feel sick, but she couldn't just not do her job. That wasn't who she was, and if anyone found out everything she had worked towards would have been for nothing. That thought was terrifying. So she was stuck, unsure of where to go from here. No matter what she did, she was hurting someone. "You should go, get as far out of Central City as you can." 

"But, Iris." 

"No, please just...think about it." 

Iris stood up and grabbed both their plates. She began to rinse them in the sink, "Iris I just can't lose you, too." 

"I know, it's going to be-" She turned around and kissed him. 

The kiss was all desperation and passion, she pulled him even closer and slipped her tongue between his lips. This wasn't happening. It couldn't be. As much as she kept denying it she knew it was true. They didn't part until they absolutely had to, but if Iris had it her way she would've just suffocated and put her last breath into the kiss. The best kiss of her life. Barry kept holding her flush against himself, and grabbed her thighs and picked her up. He began to bring her towards the bedroom. Iris felt the plush of her comforter underneath her as he began to play with the hem of her shirt, teasing her. She whined and he finally slid it over her head and across the room. 

She gasped as he pulled her pajama bottoms in one, swift motion down her legs and threw them in the same direction as her t shirt. She moaned as his fingers hovered over her panties, deciding to play with the waist band. "Barr, please."  

"Patience" His voice was raspy and dripping with desire. 

Iris felt him begin to pull the lacy material down her legs. Her fingers reached out towards his shirt where she attempted to pull the thin fabric barrier off him to no avail, he assisted in taking the damn thing off finally. She ran a hand down his chest, memorizing the freckles and definition of muscle as to never forget it. She toyed with his waistband the way he had done to her before sitting up and pulling both the flannel bottoms and his boxers down. She latched her fingers onto the v-shape of his hips as he bent down and started to play with her breasts. He teased her nipples which made her bite her lip, and squirm under his touch. She reached out but he moved her fingers, "No, Iris, be patient." his voice still deep. 

He made his way down, leaving a trail of kisses as he went. He kept one hand on her nipple as he began to rub circles on her clit. She couldn't help moaning loud and uncontrollably at his motions. Barry replaced his finger with his mouth and began to lick her click but then made his way further and put the pad of his thumb back on her clit. The combination of his fingers and tongue working in sync had her quivering. "Barry, please I'm not going to last." 

"That's the point." 

He suddenly stopped what he was doing and reached towards the nightstand, but she stopped him. "I'm on the pill, it's fine. I want to feel you, Barr." 

Barry kissed her, before slamming into her. She cried out in pleasure as he repeated the action again before going to a slower pace. She was right there, she could feel the pressure and the warm pit in her stomach was only growing with every thrust. "Oh God, Iris." Barry hissed. 

He put his thumb on her clit and Iris moaned in response. She rolled over on top of him, he guided her hips back and forth until she began to go up and down. The only sounds in the room were their pants and moans accompanied by the slap of skin on skin. His fingers dug into her hips, grounding her as a particularly powerful orgasm hit. And he wasn't too far behind, holding out until he heard her breathing return to normal and her head fall into the crook of his neck. 

She rolled over on to the bed, "I love you." 

"I love you too." She linked their fingers. 

They sat in the bliss for a little while longer until reality finally hit them. He had to leave, this was it. This was the end. 

For now at least. 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> ive decided to make this fic 8 chapters. ik ik sorry. but i could drag this on forever or just end it here. i would prefer the latter. so next chapter is the last chapter. im sorry if this wasnt the ending u were hoping for. i love u all. i hope the next and final chapter is satisfying. i love u all.


	8. I Knew How It Ended.

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> the finale of I Know How It Ends.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> goodbye, old friend. this story was my pride and joy, i love it and everyone who read it so much.

Iris sipped the liquor in front of her. She looked around, glancing at the door when she heard it open. That's when she saw him. 

He was different than she remembered, a product of age and time. It had been two decades since the last time they had seen each other that morning. They had said their goodbyes, smiled and kissed one last time. 

Now, Barry was in front of her. He was still lean, tall and handsome. The crinkles by his eyes were now permanently etched into his skin and his hair had grey highlights. 

He sat at the stool next to her, ordered a scotch neat and stayed silent. Iris didn't know how much longer of this she could take, "So, you're back?" 

"For today. I have to do something." He didn't meet her eyes. 

She tapped her glass, "What?" 

"I want to turn myself in to the police." 

"Barry, the point of you leaving was not turning yourself in." She replied fiercely. 

He sighed, "I know. But the guilt, Iris-that doesn't just go away with time." 

"It never will." She put a hand over his. 

"I know, but this might help." 

She bit her lip, "What if it doesn't?" 

He finally met her eyes with his own. Although the rest of him looked different his eyes stayed the same. Iris could still remember the first time she was close enough to really observe his eyes. That night, at the bar with Ralph. While they were flirting, she had gotten close enough to really see his eyes. She had always known they were pretty, the blue in them stood out but while this close with him she saw the green flecks and didn't want to look away until she had counted all of them and ingrained them into her mind. 

When he had finally met her eyes, all these memories raced back to the foreground of her mind. All the kisses, hugs, the sex, the flirting, what she liked about him, why she fell in love with him. "I've really fucking missed you, now you're back and that's what you're here for?" 

"Iris, I'm not doing it right this second." 

She shrugged, "I know. I just," she paused, "I worried about you everyday, now I know you're okay but now.." 

He leaned in closer to her, their hands still laced together. Barry's eyes asked for permission and the small nod Iris gave was all he needed before he pressed a soft kiss to her lips. It had been so long since she had felt something like that, had a kiss that amazing. The last time she had a kiss that great was when Barry was leaving, as he was about to get in his car she ran to him. Crashing their lips together one last time before pulling back to stare at his face, arms clasped behind his neck. They exchanged soft "I love yous" before he got in his car and drove away. 

She worked her ass off at work after that, she poured herself into each and every one of her cases. Soon moving up the ranks and getting promoted to captain. After Barry left she wasn't sure if she was ever going to find love or happiness ever again but at least she had her job. Iris became the precinct's first black female captain. Iris was feared and respected by everyone there. No one dared to ask about Barry, what happened, where he went. Anything. She was fucking grateful for it. 

"Iris, I still love you." 

"I still love you too, Barry. I always have, I always will. No matter what." 

He walked out of the bar, looking back once he got to the door and leaving her with a smile. Iris left the bar soon after and went straight home, and straight to bed. She wasn't sure what was going to happen tomorrow but she sure as hell hoped she would be okay after. 

Iris walked into her office that morning and began going through the files on her desk. She saw Barry enter the precinct and walk towards her office. 

Barry Allen turned himself in as the infamous serial killer, The Flash. 

He was soon convicted for the murders by a jury. 

Two years later, Eobard Thawne confessed to the murders. He admitted to the tests and experiments he had done on his nephew, Barry Allen. 

Barry Allen was now a free, innocent man after years of guilt and being miserable. Iris West-Allen became a very happy woman after years of dispair and heartache. Eobard Thawne got what was coming to him. 

The end. 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> i posted a new story!! its called lovable evil and barry and iris are rivals like hes the flash and shes impulse and so she saved him from falling off a building after one of their fights and then they meet in real life and um yh first chapter is up as of rn that im writing this.

**Author's Note:**

> leave a kudos and a comment. sub and bookmark so u never miss an update.


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